Reiterating its stance on the Naga peace talks issue, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has asserted that the proposed agreement between the central government and NSCN (IM) to resolve the decades-old Naga problem should not affect Arunachal Pradesh and its people in any way.
The AAPSU held a meeting in Itanagar on August 11 in this regard in the wake of media reports regarding the deadline given by PMO for culmination of ongoing talks between Centre and NSCN (IM) within September this year.
“The union is very much aware of the NSCN-IM’s vision of Nagalim or Greater Nagaland but there is no ‘Nagas’ in Arunachal Pradesh. We have on record always objected to their vested-interested designs. All tribal including Nocte, Wanchos, Tutsas and Tangsas among others inhabiting in the state are Arunachalees and Indians,” it said.
The union further stated that the Centre should stand by its assurances given previously by current Nagaland governor and interlocutor RN Ravi when a team from AAPSU led by the then president Kamta Lapung and general secretary Biru Nasi had called on him in 2015.
It was assured that consultations with Arunachal Pradesh government including the various stakeholders in the state will be made before the final draft of the accord is prepared, it said.
The present team had also submitted numerous representations against the same to President Ram Nath Kovind on his maiden visit to the state, then union home minister Rajnath Singh including numerous representations to the state government and the governor, the AAPSU said in a statement.
Welcoming the initiative taken by the successive governments in resolving the issue, the AAPSU said, “We would like to make it very clear that the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh will strongly oppose any attempts to change the territorial jurisdiction of the state or any kind of administrative, political or other interventions while reaching final solution to the seven-decade-old insurgency problem in Nagaland”.
The union also demanded that the state government, all 60 MLAs of the assembly, the three MPs and the political parties to strongly oppose any possible attempts to alter the state’s territorial jurisdiction and administration due to the proposed accord between Centre and NSCN-IM.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had last year reiterated his stand on the issue and said that state’s territorial integrity will not be compromised.
